Braking of wheeled vehicles



'r. F. N. ALEXANDER BRAKING OF WHEELED VEHICLES A fil a, 1940.

Filed Feb. 11, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor by t Attorne gw April 9, 1940.

BRAKING 7 OF WHEELED VEHICLES Filed Feb. 11, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 (SJ L Q T. F N. ALEXANDER 2.196.951

T. F. N. ALEXANDER 2,196,951

' BRAKING 0F WHEELED VEHICLES Filed Feb. 11, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 nventor April 9, 1940- 'r. F. N. ALEXANDER BRAKING OF WHEELED VEHICLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 11, 1939 Fig.9

I nuentor Ll] II a A ttorneyi Patented Apr. 9, 1940 BRAKING or WHEELED VEHICLES Thomas Francis Neath Alexander,- Stoke Bishop,

Bristol,

England Application February 11, 1939, Serial No.255,993

I In Great Britain February 19, 1938 4 Claims.

The braking of wheeled vehicles is a problem which has received much attention and has resulted in the development of many different systems each claiming to possess advantages for some particular type of stock and travel way for the wheels thereof.

In general however, apart from the magnetic track brake for electrically propelled railway or tramway vehicles it may be said that deceleration of a wheeled vehicle involves transmission entirely between the wheels and the associated track of forces which may be of widely varying character and magnitude. This is particularly noticeable in the case of modern traffic where highways are used by vehicles having pneumatic tyred wheels and relatively high speeds are permitted.

Attempts have been made to pivotally connect to a suitable part of a vehicle a member or members adapted to be brought into contact with the track or road surface by a manually operable or foot lever, the said member or members being so proportioned and shaped that the forward movement of the vehicle causes the said mem- 25 her or members to be pressed with increasing force on the track or road surface. Such means as heretofore proposed have been intended to act as the brake mechanism proper of a vehicle and most of the improvements have been directed to providing arrangements capable of resisting the great forces brought into play while the vehicle is travelling at a high speed. Violent,

braking in this manner, usually carried to the extent of lifting the tyres off the ground, I regard as fundamentally wrong because it does not prevent swerving or skidding.

It has also been proposed. to employ brush-like devices to act as anti-skid means, their action upon the roadway being dependent upon force 40 applied. v

I supplement any ordinary effective braking system with means of the kind herein referred to-modified to act as an auxiliary stabilizer that is to say designed in some cases to exert a preliminary drag on the vehicle and produce a certain lag before the ordinary braking system is used, bywhich'means deviation of a vehicle from its proper course will be prevented or corrected. This lag has a most marked effect in securing a more stable application of front wheel braking.

For thus stabilising vehicles during braking, I, according to the invention, employ means of the kind in which retardation by dissipation of energy is effected through eccentric devices reacting between the vehicle and track with a force that increases automatically, and cause such de- I vices to serve as carriers for resilient brush means adapted to secure smoothness of action, without which high speeds could not be safely dealt with.

The brushing means may be wire, strip metal or material known by the registered Trade Mark Ferrodo the strips upstanding from one end from the corner and if desired backed with flexible metal said carriers being furthermore potentially loaded mechanically as by springs or hydraulically where desired.

Where a brush extends transversely of a vehicle it may be either rigid from end to end or be built up of sections capable ofself adjustment to suit road camber or irregularities.

The improved braking means is applicable to aeroplanes and to railway vehicles where it is possible to provide a suitable track between the rails.

In the accompanying drawings, Figs. 1, 2 and 3 illustrate one suitable arrangement according to the invention Fig. 1 being a side elevation showing in out-of-use position parts of the vehicle shown in Figs. 2 and 3 in side elevation and plan with the parts in brake'applied position.

Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Figs. 2 and 3 of a modification.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are also similar views of another embodiment.

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are similar views of a further embodiment. I

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, I represents a shaft carried by brackets 2 from a car chassis 3. The shaft 1 is stationary and passes through bosses 4 of a transverse beam 5 fixed to the chassis. Upon the shaft l are rotatably mounted four eccentrically shaped carriers 6 of spring steel. Each carrier is equipped with a brush 1 and harnessed to-a flexible connection 8 passing around a sheave 9 on a cross shaft H], the several connections 8 being coupled to a single flexible connection H leading around a sheave [2 to a ratchet and pawl controlled hand operable winding wheel l2. l4 represents a pawl releasing, latch for said wheel l3. Each carrier 6 is further provided with a stem l5 pivoted at l6 and adapted to slide through a guideii which forms part of the carrier. Normally the parts occupy the position shown in Fig. 1. When the brake is to be applied the latch 14 is operated to release the wheel l3 whereupon the carriers 6 will by their own weight rotate in the direction of the arrow Fig. 1 until finally the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is reached, the stems I5 then abutting against the beam 5 to prevent flexure of the carriers beyond a certain degree. To return the braking means to normal position, the vehicle is first reversed and the wheel 13 then operated to wind up the flexible connections.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the carriers 6 are mounted upon the rear axle of the vehicle.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 two carriers 6 are employed similar to those of Figs. 1, 2 and 3 except that the braking surface is somewhat helical so that the parts 6 gradually encounter the roadway sideways as well as forwards as the vehicles progress is being arrested. Each carrier 6 in moving from the position of Fig. 6 to the position of Figs. 7 and 8 encounters a beam l8 resiliently carried by springs l9 inside brackets 28 on the chassis. Although two sets of transverse carriers are in this example employed, it will be understood that one of the sets alone may be used.

In the further embodiment shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11 two sets of brush carriers 6 are made use of, cross connected by links 2| in such a way and resilient brush means carried by the eccentric devices to secure smoothness of action during dissipation of energy in effecting retardation.

2. Braking means. according to claim 1 in 10 track with a force that increases automatically which the eccentric carriers are of resilient construction. 3. Braking means according to claim 1 i which the eccentric devices are rigid.

4. Brakingv means according to claim 1 in which the eccentric carrier or carriers is or are resiliently mounted.

THOMAS FRANCIS NEATH ALEXANDER. V 

